Currently trying out the non-leveling approach, where I won't take my levels and will remain at level one; have heard people talking about this, so finally trying it out for myself.

On one hand, I wanted to do it so I could use lower-level equipment (iron, steel, etc), keep destruction magic more useful, and dispense with the need to constantly acquire high-level equipment (unless I were to exploit the Restoration glitch for uber potions and uber-smith low-level gear). On the other, I expect it to be a challenge when I encounter quest enemies, like dragons or vampires. Falmer have proven to be exceedingly tough foes thus far, and dragons are a real challenge!

I have also used this as an excuse to play with Orcish gear more, as I knew I could steal a near-complete set of Orcish armor, as well as an Orcish battleaxe, at Largashbur. I wasn't expecting to find an Orcish mace in a chest (don't remember where, though), and 14 Dwemer arrows in the Steam Centurion's inventory at Shimmermist Cave. I looked it up and discovered that Orcish weapons can spawn at level 1, but nothing about Dwemer weapons spawning until level 12 or so.

Has anyone else done this? What are your thoughts on the whole endeavor? Is it normal for gear like that to spawn, even though I haven't advanced my levels - or is the fact that I've earned the XP enough to make leveled items appear?

So far, it's pretty fun

You can either do this by not choosing to level up, not leveling at all by wearing clothes and going unarmed

I prefer the latter approach.

There are a couple people that play by never lvl'ing up. I've done it for specific reasons, when I was on the 360, but my character lvl'd up eventually.

If the only purpose is to keep using a "specific type" of arms and armor, then I'd go along a different line. I mean if it's just because for RP reasons you wish to stay in for example "plate Steel" with a "steel sword" and destruction, then you don't really need to not lvl up. IF you are using so many skill's that they are not at all viable until you have a really high lvl, then yeah it's a good play style.

The reason is IF you are using say...

Heavy armor

1h

Destruction

Smithing

You will reach a point where you lvl so slowly, it really makes no difference. with only 4 skills... probably in the 30's. I generally play with 5 or 6 skills and can have 500 to 600 hr's on a character and never see lvl 50. My characters are never OP for more than a lvl or so and never under powered for more than a lvl or so...and that's only when the "new" types of enemies are expected to come out and I "temper" gear OR the new types have come out and I'm in the middle of a dungeon.

Everyone is different and plays a bit different... and their is nothing wrong with any play style that you want to pursue.

The only problem with this is when you decide to level up, all the dungeons that contain encounter zones will always spawn enemies at lvl1.

yeah their is that... I never got past lvl 10 without actually lvl'ing up and I only did it in the first place so that I could get to Riften and see a specific person in the Ragged Flaggon. ...That way I could "hard save" and use that as a starting point for different characters, without having to run through Helgen. It was my 360 version of Alternate Start...lol

Urgh, really? So it's either stay at level one for the whole game, or ditch the whole idea, eh?

Not all enemies are leveled. Some of them, like the Dragon Priests, have predefined stats that are not influenced by the player character's level. But other than that you're going to almost always be fighting enemies that the leveled lists say a level one character should fight while your skills continue to improve. Although, seeing if you can kill Krosis and his dragon buddy at level one is certainly an interesting idea.

EDIT: Also, dungeons are locked at the level that you first encounter them. I'm not sure if that's when you enter the dungeon or when you find the marker, though. If you level up and go back to a dungeon you've entered before, it will still be at level one, but if you find a new dungeon, it will be at level two (or whatever your current level is).

Ah well; I was nagged by the thought that enemies would remain at level one whilst my skills kept on improving, so I ditched the idea and went back to my other save.

Thanks, everyone!

as said before: most enemies level-up with the player, that is if you stay level 1 they stay

secondly as said before: some enemies have their own level as default, no idea which ones they are but they will play with your nuts like it's nothing, so you may encounter some enemies and have an expierence of a life time. so be careful and protect the nuts.

Encounter zones are tied to the dungeon's cell, that is, as soon you enter, the levels are set.

Encounter Zones can be set to a minimum and maximum level. Forelhost, for example, is always a minimum level 24 dungeon, no matter what level our character is when entering. Some dungeons may spawn enemies at level 1 if we enter with a level 1 character, but not all. It depends on how the developers configured the Encounter Zone.

Oh. Forelhost. HOW have I managed to forget it with these latest girls? Hrmph.

Ah yes, that is correct about encounter zones. I personally don't see staying at lvl1(for me) as viable because while you can still level skills, you can't use perks because you'd have to invoke the level up!